/^ 


\^. 


BX  9183  .R623  1895 

Roberts,  William  Henry,  1844 

-1920. 
The  Presbyterian  system 


p 


reebijterian  Si^^tem 


Its  Characteristics, 
Authority,  and  Obligation 


:iB^  the 
IRev.  iraiimam  1benr^  IRoberts, 

S).2).,  %%.B. 


philadelphia 

Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication 

AND  Sabbath-school  Work 

1895 


Copyright,   1895,  by 
THE  TRUSTEES   OF  THE   PRESBYTERIAN   BOARD 
OF  PUBLICATION   AND   SABBATH- 
SCHOOL  WORK. 


pretators  IKlote, 


This  brief  treatise  is  an  endeavor  to  set 
forth,  in  a  clear  and  definite  manner,  the 
characteristics,  authority  and  obligation  of 
the  Presbyterian  System.  The  controlling 
idea  of  that  System,  the  Sovereignty  of  God, 
is  exhibited  in  its  influence  thereupon, 
both  in  its  parts  and  as  a  whole.  The 
main  features,  as  contained  in  the  West- 
minster Standards,  are  developed  concisely 
under  the  heads  of  Theology,  Duty,  Wor- 
ship and  Government.  The  extent  of  the 
authority  of  these  Standards  over  members 
and  officers  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  the  general  and  individual  obligations 
involved  in  their  acceptance,  are  also 
indicated.  The  treatise  is  submitted  to  the 
public,  in  the  hope  that  it  will  prove  help- 
ful to  a  clear  understanding  of  the  nature 
and  relations  of  the  Presbyterian  System, 
both  as  to  faith  and  practice. 

w.  H.  R. 


^be  ipreabuterian  Sijatcm^ 


A  systematic  exhibit  of  Scriptural  teach- 
ing, both  as  to  faith  and  practice,  is  in 
accordance  alike  with  the  letter  and  spirit 
of  the  word  of  God.  Thus  believing,  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States 
of  America  has  framed  forms  of  sound 
words  containing  the  principles  and  usages 
which  it  maintains.  In  these  pages  an 
endeavor  is  made  concisely  to  exhibit  that 
system  of  truth  which  is  contained  in  the 
Standards  of  the  Church,  or,  otherwise 
worded,  to  answer  the  question,  What  are 
the  leading  characteristics  of  the  Presby- 
terian system  of  faith  and  practice  ? 

I.  Zbc  controlling  iDea.  In  dealing 
with  the  Presbyterian  system,  it  is  neces- 
sary first,  to  lay  to   one  side    any  narrow 

5 


G^be  ipresb^terian  System. 

view  of  it  that  may  have  been  acquired. 
By  the  word  *'  Presbyterian' '  is  not  meant 
simply  an  adherent  of  a  particular  form  of 
church  government;  and  the  term  *^  Pres- 
byterian system  "  is  therefore  not  to  be 
understood  as  applicable  merely  to  a  code 
of  rules,  by  which  the  affairs  of  an  ecclesi- 
astical organization  are  administered.  A 
system,  whether  of  philosophy  or  theology, 
may  be  defined  as  a  classification  of  related 
truths  arranged  under  one  and  the  same 
idea.  No  truth  is  altogether  isolated, 
every  truth  is  related  to  some  other,  and 
the  harmonious  relation  of  connected 
truths  each  to  the  other,  under  a  common 
idea,  is  their  presentation  in  the  form  of  a 
system.  A  system  of  truth  must  be  judged, 
not  by  any  of  its  parts,  neither  by  mere 
incidental  characteristics,  but  by  all  the 
parts  in  their  logical  relation  to  the  con- 
trolling idea. 

The  doctrine  of  the  divine  sovereignty 
is  the  controlling  idea  of  the  Presbyterian 
system,  both  theoretically  and  practically. 
By  this  sovereignty  is  meant,  the  absolute 
control  of  the  universe,  with  all  that  it  has 


XLbc  Presbyterian  System. 

contained,  does  and  will  contain,  whether 
visible  things  or  invisible  things,  by  the 
one  supreme,  eternal,  omniscient,  omni- 
present, and  omnipotent  Spirit,  for  wise, 
just,  holy  and  loving  ends,  known  fully  to 
himself  alone. 

The  Presbyterian  system  may  be  defined, 
therefore,  as  being  that  body  of  religious 
truths  and  laws  of  which  the  sovereignty 
of  God  is  the  germ  and  nexus,  the  life  and 
soul. 

II.  Zbc  organl3tng  principle.  The 
sovereignty  of  God  finds  primary  expres- 
sion in  the  Presbyterian  system,  by  ordain- 
ing as  its  organizing  principle,  the  sov- 
ereignty of  the  word  of  God,  as  the  norm 
and  rule  of  faith  and  practice.  When 
men  seek  to  know  what  to  believe  and  do, 
it  is  natural  that  they  should  seek  to  ascer- 
tain first,  whether  God,  the  Supreme 
Spirit,  who  is  eternal  truth,  has  spoken  to 
them  authoritatively  in  both  particulars. 

Christendom  in  general  maintains  that 
God  has  spoken  to  man,  and  that  the 
result  is  to  be  found  in  the  Holy  Scripture. 
While    Christians,    in    general,    however, 


^be  ipresbstedan  System. 

regard  the  Bible  as  being  the  word  of  God, 
it  is  not  regarded  by  all  claiming  the 
Christian  name  as  the  supreme  rule  of 
belief  and  conduct.  Nominal  Christians 
are  divided  on  this  great  subject  into  four 
classes,  commonly  known  as  Rationalists, 
Liberals,  Catholics,  and  Evangelicals.  Ra- 
tionalists deny  that  the  Bible  is  in  any 
proper  sense  the  word  of  God.  Liberals, 
many  of  whom  are  evangelical,  affirm  that 
the  word  of  God  is  contained  in  the  Holy 
Scripture,  but  they  deny  that  the  Holy 
Scripture  as  an  entirety  is  the  word  of 
God.  Further,  some  of  them  regard  the 
human  reason  as  a  source  of  authority  in 
religion,  coordinate  with  Scripture.  Cath- 
olics (so-called)  take  a  different  view  of  the 
Scripture  as  the  rule  of  faith,  from  that  of 
the  Rationalists.  Whether  of  the  Greek 
Catholic,  the  Roman  Catholic,  or  the 
Anglican  communion,  they  maintain  that 
the  Bible  is  the  word  of  God,  but  in  addi- 
tion hold  that  the  traditions  and  the  voice 
of  the  Church  are  coordinate  with  the 
Bible  as  sources  of  religious  authority. 
The  natural  result  of  this  tendency  ever 


^be  Presbyterian  System. 

has  been  to  substitute  for  the  Holy  Scrip- 
ture the  commandments  of  men  and  the 
decrees  of  church  councils. 

Against  the  three  above  mentioned  opin- 
ions, evangelical  Christians  make  reso- 
lute stand.  In  opposition  to  the  first  two 
they  maintain  that  the  Bible  in  its  totality 
is  the  '*very  word  of  God;"  that  in  its 
every  part  it  is  the  divinely  inspired,  in- 
fallible, and  supreme  rule  of  faith  and 
practice.  In  opposition  to  the  Catholics, 
they  reject  utterly  the  traditions  of  men 
from  the  rule  of  faith,  and  take  as  their 
watchword  the  motto,  *'The  Bible,  and 
the  Bible  only,  the  religion  of  Protest- 
ants." The  position  taken  is  this:  That 
the  sovereignty  of  God  involves  the  sov- 
ereignty of  God's  word.  Granted,  that 
God  has  revealed  his  truth  to  men  in  the 
Scripture,  then  it  follows,  necessarily,  that 
neither  the  conclusions  of  the  finite  human 
reason,  nor  the  decrees  of  an  infallible 
church  or  Pope,  but  alone  God's  word, 
can  be  the  inerrant  and  supreme  rule  of 
faith  and  life.  When  men  have  ascer- 
tained that  a  given  book  is  the  word  of 


^be  ipresb^terian  System* 

God,  then  because  God  has  spoken,  they 
must  accept  it  as  supremely  authoritative 
in  all  its  parts.  Face  to  face  with  God's 
word,  the  human  reason  is  to  deal,  not 
with  questions  of  acceptance,  but  of  inter- 
pretation. The  Presbyterian  position  is 
one  here  with  the  evangelical  position, 
declaring  that  the  supreme  and  infallible 
rule  of  faith  and  practice  is  the  whole 
Bible,  and  the  Bible  only.  The  Presby- 
terian system  accepts  and  incorporates,  as 
of  perpetual  binding  obligation,  only  those 
things  which  can  be  proven  to  be  of  Scrip- 
tural origin  and  warrant.  And  this  is  the 
reason  why  its  great  organizing  principle 
finds  statement  in  the  first  chapter  of  the 
Westminster  Confession.  Presbyterians 
put  first  in  their  creed,  the  rule  which 
determines  what  shall  be  included  in  and 
what  excluded  from  their  Standards,  state 
first  their  doctrine  ''Of  the  Holy  Scrip- 
ture. ' ' 

III.  Zbc  rigbt  of  Denominational  as* 
SOCiation.  The  acceptance  of  the  word 
of  God  as  the  supreme  and  infallible  mle 
of  faith  and  practice,  brings  men  next  face 


^be  ipresb^tevian  System. 

to  face  with  the  questions,  ''What  is  the 
relation  of  the  individual  to  the  interpreta- 
tion of  God's  word,  and  what  also  is  the 
relation  thereto  of  Christians  as  organized 
into  denominations?"  The  first  inquiry 
is  answered  in  the  Presbyterian  Standards 
from  the  position,  that  the  sovereignty  of 
God  involves  the  principle  that  ''  God 
alone  is  Lord  of  the  conscience."  To 
God,  as  Master,  every  man  standeth  or 
falleth.  Because  God  is  sovereign,  there- 
fore is  the  Scripture  the  supreme  rule  of 
faith  and  practice,  and  therefore,  also,  is 
every  Christian  entitled  to  interpret  the 
Scripture  for  himself,  in  accordance  with  the 
precepts  which  are  given  therein.  Before 
creeds  are  formulated,  or  organization 
begins,  or  church  constitutions  are  framed, 
evangelical  religion,  as  expressed  in  its  Pres- 
byterian form,  brings  God  and  the  human 
soul  into  direct  contact,  without  any  inter- 
vening obstacles,  arising  from  the  processes 
of  the  human  reason  or  the  declarations  of 
any  church.  In  the  Presbyterian  Standards 
this  fact  is  stated  in  the  following  words : 
"  God  alone  is  Lord  of  the  conscience, 


^be  ipresb^terian  Sisstem, 

and  hath  left  it  free  from  the  doctrines 
and  commandments  of  men  which  are  in 
any  thing  contrary  to  his  word,  or  beside 
it,  in  matters  of  faith  or  worship.*  There- 
fore they  consider  the  rights  of  private 
judgment,  in  all  matters  that  respect 
religion,  as  universal  and  unalienable,  "f 

The  right  of  private  judgment,  thus 
sharply  announced,  involves,  however,  not 
only  the  right  of  every  man  to  interpret, 
with  due  reverence  towards  God,  the  Scrip- 
ture for  himself,  but  also  the  right  of  every 
man  to  enter  into  association  with  other 
men,  for  the  attainment  of  the  high 
and  holy  ends  of  the  Christian  religion. 
Discussion  as  to  the  value  of  denomina- 
tional church  organizations  is  out  of  place 
here,  but  it  is  insisted  that  they  are  war- 
ranted both  by  human  nature  and  the 
Scripture.  Sufficient  is  it  to  point  out  the 
position  which  the  Presbyterian  Church 
takes  in  the  matter.  It  declares  in  the 
Form  of  Government,  Chapter  i,  Section 
2,  ''That,  in  perfect  consistency  with  the 

*  Confession,  XX,  2. 

f  Form  of  Government,  I,  i. 


above  principle  of  common  right  [/.  <?., 
private  judgment],  every  Christian  church, 
or  union  or  association  of  particular 
churches,  is  entitled  to  declare  the  terms 
of  admission  into  its  communion,  and  the 
qualifications  of  its  ministers  and  members, 
as  well  as  the  whole  system  of  its  internal 
government  which  Christ  hath  appointed : 
that,  in  the  exercise  of  this  right  they  may, 
notwithstanding,  err,  in  making  the  terms 
of  communion  either  too  lax  or  too  narrow ; 
yet,  even  in  this  case,  they  do  not  infringe 
upon  the  liberty,  or  the  rights  of  others, 
but  only  make  an  improper  use  of  their 
own." 

By  virtue,  therefore,  of  the  twin  rights 
of  private  judgment  and  voluntary  associa- 
tion, those  professing  Christians  known  as 
Presbyterians  have  voluntarily  combined 
together,  agreeably  to  the  Holy  Scripture, 
for  the  maintenance  of  what  they  are  con- 
vinced is  the  Scriptural  system  of  faith  and 
practice,  of  worship  and  administration. 
If  Presbyterians  err  in  claiming  that  the 
Presbyterian  system  is  the  Scriptural  sys- 
tem, or  in  adopting  and  maintaining  this 

«3 


Zbc  f>re5bstenan  System* 

system,  then,  "  they  do  not  infringe  upon 
the  liberty,  or  the  rights  of  others,  but  only 
make  an  improper  use  of  their  own." 
Presbyterians,  however,  with  all  due  re- 
spect to  those  who  differ  from  them,  be- 
lieve that  the  views  held  by  them  are 
Scriptural,  and  therefore  require  from  min- 
isters, ruling  elders,  and  deacons,  at  ordi- 
nation, the  sincere  reception  and  adoption 
of  the  denominational  Confession  of  Faith, 
and  the  Larger  and  Shorter  Catechisms,  as 
containing  the  "  system  of  doctrine  taught 
in  the  Holy  Scriptures,"  and  equally  sin- 
cere approval  of  the  Form  of  Government, 
and  the  other  administrative  standards  of 
the  Church. 

IV.  ^be  main  features  of  the  Presby- 
terian system.  The  statement  of  these  fea- 
tures follows  naturally  after  the  consider- 
ations just  presented.  The  lines  of  devel- 
opment are  those  common  to  all  religions — 
theology,  duty,  worship  and  government. 

I.  Theology.  The  fundamental  feature 
of  the  Presbyterian  system  is  a  body  of 
theology,  or  a  statement  of  what  we  are  to 
believe  concerning  God,  in  himself,  and 


Zbc  jpresb^terian  System* 

in  his  relations  to  man.  The  general 
name  "  Calvinistic  "  has  been  given  to  this 
body  of  theology,  but  the  term  does  not 
express  the  whole  truth  with  reference 
thereto.  While  every  doctrine  in  the  sys- 
tem has  its  origin  in  the  word  of  God, 
and  while  its  form  of  statement  is  con- 
trolled by  the  idea  of  the  divine  sover- 
eignty, nevertheless  there  are  doctrines  in 
the  Confession  of  Faith  and  the  Catechisms 
other  than  those  which  are  peculiarly  Cal- 
vinistic. The  Presbyterian  doctrinal  Stand- 
ards contain  three  great  theological  ele- 
ments, each  of  which  is  entitled  to  a  dis- 
tinctive name.  The  first  element  consists 
of  the  doctrines  generally  held  by  all  Chris- 
tians, the  second  of  the  doctrines  main- 
tained by  all  Protestants,  the  third  of  those 
doctrines  which  are  peculiarly  Calvinistic. 
The  general  or  universal  Christian  element 
consists  of  such  doctrines  as  those  of  the 
existence  of  God,  of  the  unity  of  God,  of 
the  Trinity,  of  the  plan  of  God,  of  crea- 
tion, of  providence,  of  the  fall  of  man,  of 
sin  and  its  punishment,  of  the  freedom  of 
the  human  will,  of  the  person  of  Christ,  of 
15 


Zbc  IPresbgterian  System. 

the  personality  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  of  sal- 
vation through  a  divine  Redeemer,  and  of 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  Upon  such 
doctrines  as  these,  in  their  general  form, 
however  they  may  vary  in  particulars. 
Christians  are  substantially  a  unit.  The 
second  great  element,  the  Protestant,  con- 
sists of  such  doctrines  as,  the  supremacy  of 
the  Holy  Scripture  as  the  only  inspired 
and  infallible  rule  of  faith,  the  lordship  of 
God  over  the  conscience,  the  vicarious  sac- 
rifice and  sole  mediatorship  of  Christ,  the 
justification  of  the  penitent  sinner  by  faith 
alone,  the  passing  of  saints  at  death  imme- 
diately into  heaven,  and  their  instant  and 
complete  perfection  in  the  state  of  glory. 
Such  doctrines  as  these  unite  evangelical 
Protestants  in  their  several  subdivisions  in 
a  vital  oneness  of  faith.  The  third  ele- 
ment in  the  Confession  is  the  distinctively 
Calvinistic,  and  consists  of  the  doctrines 
which  are  ordinarily  called  the  five  points 
of  Calvinism.  These  five  points  are :  (i) 
Unconditional  as  opposed  to  condi- 
tional predestination ;  (2)  definite  atone- 
ment or  particular  redemption  as  opposed 


CTbe  ipresb^tcrian  System* 

to  indefinite  atonement ;  (3)  total  as  op- 
posed to  partial  depravity ;  (4)  efficacious  as 
opposed  to  uncertain  grace ;  (5)  final  as 
opposed  to  partial  perseverance.  These 
five  points  are  the  differentiating  features 
of  the  Reformed  or  Presbyterian  doctrine, 
the  points  which  separate  Calvinists  from 
other  evangelical  Christians.  Many  Bap- 
tists and  Congregationalists,  and  some 
Episcopalians  and  Methodists,  are,  on  the 
five  points  of  Calvinism,  theologically  at 
one  with  Presbyterians. 

The  controlling  idea  of  the  Presbyterian 
system,  that  of  the  sovereignty  of  God,  is 
vitally  related  to  each  of  these  elements  of 
confessional  theology.  The  several  univer- 
sal doctrines  referred  to,  and  set  forth  in 
the  Confession,  affirm  reverently  and  em- 
phatically that  God  is  j  that  he  exists  as  a 
Trinity  in  unity;  that  he  is  the  eternal, 
infinitely  holy,  wise  and  good,  omniscient, 
omnipresent  and  omnipotent  Spirit ;  that 
from  all  eternity  he  planned  his  universe, 
with  all  things  therein;  that  he  created 
all  things  ;  that  he  governs  all  things  ;  that 
the  free  will  of  man  is  his  gift,  involving- 

«7 


^be  IPrcsbBterian  System* 

man's  responsibility  to  his  Creator;  that 
he  permitted  sin  and  has  fixed  its  punish- 
ment j  that  salvation  from  sin  is  by  him 
of  whom  it  is  written  :  "  God  so  loved  the 
world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son, 
that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should 
not  perish;"  that  all  men  shall  rise  one 
day  from  the  dead,  and  shall  receive  at  the 
bar  of  God  the  awards  of  final  destiny. 

The  Protestant  element  in  the  Confes- 
sion is  also  controlled  by  the  divine  sover- 
eignty as  its  dominating  idea.  Because 
God  is  sovereign,  therefore  Presbyterians 
believe  that  God's  word  is  the  only  inspired 
and  infallible  rule  of  faith ;  that  every  man 
is  directly  responsible  in  matters  of  religion 
to  God ;  that  there  is  no  other  method  of 
salvation  for  sinners  than  through  the  sac- 
rifice and  mediation  of  Jesus  Christ ;  that 
not  good  works,  but  faith  in  the  God-man, 
Jesus  Christ,  is  the  sole  condition  of  salva- 
tion ;  and  last,  but  not  least,  that  a  middle 
state  after  death  has  no  existence,  but  that 
there  are  only  two  places  wherein  departed 
souls  abide — heaven  and  hell.  Protestant 
Christians  do  not  believe  that  the  Church 

i8 


Vkbc  presbsterian  Sgatem. 

or  the  human  reason  are  sources  of  divine 
authority  in  religion ;  that  men  can  exer- 
cise compulsion  in  matters  of  belief;  that 
sinners  can  be  saved  in  any  other  way  ex- 
cept through  Christ ;  that  the  grace  of  God 
can  be  purchased  with  good  works  ;  that 
believers  must  wait  a  long  period  after  the 
death  of  the  body  for  the  advent  of  the 
hour,  when  the  gates  of  pearl  shall  open 
and  admit  them  to  the  Saviour's  real  pres- 
ence. Because  God  is  sovereign,  therefore 
is  the  Bible  the  supreme  law,  man  respon- 
sible to  God,  salvation  conditioned  alone 
upon  faith,  the  grace  of  God  without 
money  and  without  price,  and  heaven  an 
immediate  certainty  at  the  close  of  the 
earthly  life. 

In  the  Calvinistic  element  of  the  Con- 
fession, we  find  the  same  magnifying  of 
the  divine  sovereignty  which  has  charac- 
terized the  two  preceding  classes  of  Chris- 
tian doctrine.  The  famous  five  points  of 
Calvinism  are  simply  the  affirmation  of  the 
sovereignty  of  God  in  its  relation  to  the 
salvation  of  the  individual.  For  Presbyte- 
rians, the  salvation   of  every  believer  is 


^be  Presbyterian  System* 

from  all  eternity  a  part  of  the  great  plan  of 
him,  without  whom  not  even  a  sparrow 
falleth  to  the  ground.  Presbyterians  be- 
lieve, in  regard  to  every  true  Christian, 
that  his  salvation  is  not  a  reward  for  faith, 
but  that  faith  and  salvation  both  are  gifts 
of  God ;  that  each  believer  is  the  object  of 
a  peculiar,  definite,  gracious,  costly,  vic- 
torious and  everlasting  love ;  that  the  power 
and  tendency  of  sin  in  man  is  of  such  a 
nature  that  he  is  utterly  unable  to  save 
himself;  that  regeneration  is  an  act  of  God, 
and  of  God  alone,  a  sinner  cannot  be  both 
father  and  child ;  that  when  the  Spirit  of 
God  moves  efficaciously  in  a  human  soul, 
the  new  life  must  result ;  and  that  the  soul 
whom  God  hath  loved  in  Jesus  Christ,  he 
loveth  to  the  end,  the  regenerate  person  is 
not  of  the  number  of  those  '*who  draw 
back  unto  perdition ;  but  of  them  that  be- 
lieve to  the  saving  of  the  soul."  *  Cal- 
vinism makes  him  who  is  the  author  of 
the  universe  to  be  the  author  of  salvation ; 
maintains  that  the  love  of  God  in  Christ, 
the  love  even  unto  death,  deals  not  with 

*Heb.  X.  39. 


Zbc  Presbyterian  System* 

men  in  the  mass,  but  with  each  soul  in  par- 
ticular ;  that  he  who  is  the  source  of  all 
life  and  love  bestows  efficaciously  upon 
utterly  helpless  man  both  life  and  grace  ; 
and  that  once  a  child  of  God,  always  a 
child  of  God.  God's  plan,  God's  love, 
God's  life,  God's  promise,  God's  power, 
make  salvation  for  the  believer  not  a  mere 
arbitrary  necessity,  but  a  most  gracious 
and  glorious  certainty.  Arranged  in  an 
order  determined  by  man's  lost  estate  in 
sin,  the  five  points  of  Calvinism  start 
with  man's  inability,  owing  to  sin, 
to  save  himself,  and  then  describe  the 
four  steps  in  salvation  :  predestination,  re- 
demption, conversion,  and  sanctification 
culminating  in  glorification.  Here  is  Cal- 
vinism in  its  original  form  :  ^'  All  that  the 
Father  giveth  me  shall  come  to  me;  and 
him  that  cometh  to  me  I  will  in  no  wise 
cast  out."*  "My  sheep  hear  my  voice, 
and  I  know  them,  and  they  follow  me: 
and  I  give  unto  them  eternal  life;  and 
they  shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  any 
man  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand."f  ''Now 

♦John  vi.  37.  f  John  x.  28. 


^be  ipresbgterfan  Si26tem. 

unto  him  that  is  able  to  keep  you  from  fall- 
ing, and  to  present  you  faultless  before  the 
presence  of  his  glory  with  exceeding  joy, 
to  the  only  wise  God  our  Saviour,  be 
glory  and  majesty,  dominion  and  power, 
both  now  and  ever.     Amen."* 

The  Presbyterian  theology  is  consistent 
from  beginning  to  end.  Acknowledging 
the  divine  sovereignty  in  all  things,  both 
in  nature,  in  providence  and  in  grace,  it 
refers  whatsoever  comes  to  pass  to  the 
good  pleasure  of  God.  Rationalism  gives 
the  control  of  the  universe  and  all  it  con- 
tains to  blind,  unintelligent  natural  forces. 
Rationalism  ends  either  in  deism,  infidel- 
ity or  fatalism.  Arminianism  makes  man 
to  a  large  extent  the  arbiter  of  destiny,  and 
so  cripples  faith  and  dims  hope  by  intro- 
ducing, as  controlling  factors  in  the  uni- 
versal scheme  of  things,  the  whims  and 
waywardness  and  uncertainty  inherent  in 
human  nature.  The  Presbyterian  system 
maintains,  that  the  all-wise,  all-knowing, 
almighty,  everywhere  present,  just,  loving, 
supreme  and  eternal  Spirit,  has  created  and 

*Jude  25. 


XLbc  ipresb^terian  Si^stem* 

does  uphold,  has  guided  and  will  continue 
to  guide,  the  whole  universe,  in  all  its 
parts,  as  well  tiny  flowret  as  flaming  sun, 
as  well  sinful  man  as  holy  archangel,  until 
the  divine  purposes  shall  find  their  con- 
summation in  the  deliverance  from  the  bond- 
age of  corruption  of  a  groaning  and  travail- 
ing creation.  Presbyterians  believe  that 
beneath,  above,  around,  and  in  all  of  this 
scheme  of  things  which  we  call  the  uni- 
verse, in  its  parts  as  well  as  in  its  totality, 
in  its  past,  its  present  and  its  future,  there 
has  been,  is,  and  will  be,  a  dominant  will, 
a  kingly  righteousness,  an  imperial  love, 
the  will,  the  righteousness,  the  love,  which 
is  God.  They  believe  neither  in  fate  nor 
in  man  as  the  supreme  arbiter  of  destiny, 
but  in  God  the  Father  Almighty. 

2.  Z>u/'y.  Another  class  of  the  essential 
doctrines  of  the  Presbyterian  system  deals 
with  human  duty.  Moral  principles  and 
precepts  are  laid  down  therein  with  great 
clearness.  There  is  no  uncertain  sound  in 
the  statements  of  the  Standards  as  to  the 
laws  and  characteristics  of  human  conduct. 
The  chief  doctrines  concerning  duty  are 
23 


XTbe  iPresb^terian  System, 

those  of  the  free  agency  of  man,  of  the  law 
of  God,  of  sin,  of  faith  in  Christ,  of  good 
works,  of  Christian  liberty,  of  lawful  oaths 
and  vows,  of  the  civil  magistrate,  of  mar- 
riage and  divorce,  and  of  final  judgment. 
These  doctrines  also  are  placed  in  logical 
relation  to  the  divine  sovereignty.  Pres- 
byterians affirm  because  God  is  sovereign, 
therefore,  that  man's  free  agency  is  a  fore- 
ordained element  of  his  being  and  involves 
his  responsibility  to  God  ;  that  the  moral 
law  as  contained  in  the  Ten  Command- 
ments, and  amplified  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, is  always  binding  upon  men ;  that 
all  human  conduct  in  thought,  word  or 
deed,  which  is  contrary  to  God's  law,  is 
sin  ;  that  faith  in  Christ  is  obligatory  upon 
all  who  hear  the  gospel ;  that  men  may  not 
bind  the  consciences  of  other  men  as  to 
right  and  wrong,  except  in  harmony  with 
God's  word;  that  Christians  must  show 
forth  by  godly  living  the  truth  of  their 
profession  of  religion ;  that  good  works 
are  the  test  and  evidence  of  adoption  into 
the  household  of  God,  not  a  ground  for 
salvation ;  that  men   cannot   bind   them- 

a4 


^be  ipresb^terian  System. 

selves  to  perform  wrongful  acts;  that  God's 
name  is  ever  to  be  held  in  supreme  rever- 
ence ;  that  the  State  is  a  divine  institution 
as  well  as  the  Church ;  that  obedience  to 
rightful  civil  authority  is  obedience  to 
God ;  that  in  both  Church  and  State  the 
family  is  the  source  and  safeguard  of  true 
prosperity;  in  short,  that  the  precepts 
governing  men  in  their  relations  to  each 
other,  whether  personal,  social,  political  or 
ecclesiastical,  are  to  be  in  full  agreement 
with  the  principles  laid  down  in  the  word 
of  God.  And  to  give  resistless  power  to 
these  views  of  duty,  Calvinism  emphasizes 
sharply  the  predestinated  and  unescapable 
judgment  of  God,  the  certainty  that  every 
thought,  word  and  deed  of  each  indi- 
vidual, in  every  circumstance  and  relation 
of  life,  will  be  subjected,  at  the  day  of  final 
accounting,  to  the  scrutiny  of  a  justice  om- 
niscient, impersonal,  impartial,  and  inflexi- 
ble, to  be  followed  by  a  sentence  positively 
righteous  and  irrevocable. 

Concise  expression  to  these  views  of 
responsibility  is  given  in  our  Saviour's 
words,  setting  human  duty  clearly  in  the 


XLbc  ipresb^terian  System* 

light  of  the  divine  sovereignty :  ^'  The 
Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord  :  and  thou  shalt 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart, 
and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy 
mind,  and  with  all  thy  strength  :  this  is 
the  first  commandment.  And  the  second 
is  like,  namely  this,  Thou  shalt  love  thy 
neighbor  as  thyself."*  ''But  I  say  unta 
you,  That  every  idle  word  that  men  shall 
speak,  they  shall  give  account  thereof  in 
the  day  of  judgment,  "f  True  duty,  both 
Godward  and  manward,  is  rooted  in  and 
controlled  by  the  idea  of  the  divine  sover- 
eignty, as  it  affects  human  responsibility. 

Certain  persons,  connected  with  other 
denominations,  have  alleged  that  the 
Presbyterian  system  minifies  human  re- 
sponsibility and  makes  of  man  a  mere 
machine.  Such  an  allegation,  deliber- 
ately made,  is  a  slander  upon  Presbyterians, 
and  is  rooted  in  an  utter  misconception  of 
the  nature  of  the  system  they  maintain. 
Calvinism,  it  is  true,  rightly  magnifies  the 
divine  sovereignty,  but  in  so  doing  it  also 
magnifies    both   man   and   duty.      Every^ 

*  Mark  xii.  29-31 .  f  Matt.  xii.  36. 

26 


^be  Presbyterian  System. 

thought  which  enlarges  and  makes  more 
impressive  the  idea  of  the  sovereignty  of 
God,  has  like  effect  in  relation  to  the  con- 
ceptions of  man  and  of  obligation.  The 
more  clearly  God  is  perceived  and  ac- 
knowledged as  sovereign,  the  more  sharply 
are  the  facts  apprehended  and  applied, 
that  man  is  a  predestinated  free  agent, 
that  right  conduct  is  a  divine  and  perpet- 
ual obligation,  that  responsibility  is  a  thing 
foreordained,  that  the  judgment  of  God  is 
inevitable,  and  that  freedom  from  con- 
demnation is  secured  only  through  Christ. 
God's  sovereignty,  God's  law,  God's  jus- 
tice, in  combination  with  human  freedom, 
make  Presbyterian  views  of  duty  a  moral 
force  both  stern  and  mighty. 

Loyal  to  the  conception  of  the  sover- 
eignty over  human  life  of  the  law  of  God, 
Calvinists  have  carried  that  law  into 
practical  operation  in  conduct,  beyond 
every  other  class  of  Christians.  The  word 
*'  Puritan,"  standing  as  it  does  for  Calvin- 
istic  morality,  is  sufficient  evidence  of  this 
fact,  in  relation  to  private  life,  without 
quoting  other  and  extended  proofs.  Not 
27 


XLbe  ipresb^terian  System* 

only  in  private,  however,  but  also  in  pub- 
lic life,  has  Calvinism  been  an  intense 
moral  force.  The  general  influence  of 
Presbyterianism,  that  foremost  English- 
man, Wm.  E.  Gladstone,  describes  as 
securing  for  men,  *'  the  advantages  which 
in  civil  order  belong  to  local  self-govern- 
ment and  representative  institutions,  order- 
ly habits  of  mind,  respect  for  adversaries 
and  some  of  the  elements  of  the  judicial 
temper;  the  development  of  a  genuine 
individuality,  together  with  the  discourage- 
ment of  mere  arbitrary  will  and  of  all 
eccentric  tendencies;  the  sense  of  com- 
mon life  and  the  disposition  energetically 
to  defend  it ;  the  love  of  law,  combined 
with  the  love  of  freedom. ' '  True  Calvin- 
ism has  been  and  is  a  most  potent  source 
of  good  to  both  the  individual  and  the 
State,  in  the  one  of  right  conduct,  and  in 
the  other  of  social  order.  Its  choicest 
products  are  the  God-fearing  believer 
and  the  law-abiding  citizen.  Faith  in 
Christ  and  obedience  to  God  work  ever 
obedience  to  law. 

3.    Worship.     Worship  necessarily  occu- 


Zbc  ipresb^terian  System* 

pies  a  prominent  position  in  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  as  to  persons,  places,  times 
and  forms.  Worship  may  be  defined  as 
the  aspiration  of  the  soul  of  man  towards 
God,  in  the  name  of  Christ,  adoring  the 
divine  perfections,  magnifying  the  divine 
goodnesSj  and  supplicating  the  divine 
blessing,  in  the  forgiveness  of  sin  and  the 
bestowal  of  the  divine  favor.  To  many 
persons,  worship  constitutes  the  very 
essence  of  religion,  and  in  no  other 
department  of  religion  have  men  attempted 
to  interfere  with  the  divine  sovereignty 
more  persistently  and  audaciously. 

The  main  doctrines  of  the  Presbyterian 

Standards  with  reference  to  worship  are  : 

That  God  only  is  to  be  worshioed  :    that 

he    is    to  'ue  ^^PL'^oinped    through    Jesus 

Christ  alone ;  that  worship  to  be  accepted 

of  God  must  be  offered  in  spirit   and   in 

truth,  by  the  help  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  that 

only  in  true  worship  can  sin  be  forgiven  or 

the  divine  favor  be  secured  ;  that  no  part 

of  religious  worship   is  under   the   gospel 

''tied  unto"  anyplace;  that  God   hath 

appointed  one  day  in  seven  for  a  Sabbath, 

29 


^be  IPresbgterian  System* 

to  be  kept  holy  unto  him ;  and  that  the 
general  manner  of  worship  has  been  set 
forth  in  the  word  of  God.  In  these  doc- 
trines, as  in  other  doctrines  dealt  with  in 
the  Standards,  the  controlling  idea  is  that 
of  the  divine  sovereignty.  Because  God 
is  sovereign,  therefore  it  follows  that  all 
idolatry  is  utterly  forbidden  ;  that  worship 
is  to  be  offered,  not  through  human  or 
angelic  mediators,  but  through  Jesus  Christ 
as  the  sole  mediator  and  only  priest ;  that 
ministers  are  never  priests,  but  simply 
leaders  in  worship ;  that  neither  man  nor 
angel  can  forgive  sins  and  bestow  grace 
and  favor,  but  God  alone  ;  that  true  wor- 
ship can  be  offered  anywhere,  for  the  road 
to  the  divine  favor  starts  from  the  penitent 
neart  and  believing  soul,  not  froin  Gerizim 
or  from  Jerusalem ;  that  the  law  of  the 
Sabbath  as  a  day  for  worship  is  of  perpet- 
ual obligation  ;  that  only  those  ordinances 
and  forms  are  of  authority  in  worship 
which  are  indicated  in  the  word  of  God ; 
that  worship  is  to  be  offered  not  only  in 
private,  but  also  in  stated  public  assemblies; 
that  the  ordinances  and  forms  of  religion  are 
30 


^be  iPresbigterian  System* 

simply  means  to  the  great  ends  of  growth 
in  the  divine  life,  and  fellowship  with 
God;  and  that  even  the  sacraments  of 
Christ's  appointment,  precious  as  they  are 
to  the  believer,  though  the  culmination  of 
divine  worship,  the  veritable  contact  of 
the  soul  with  Christ,  yet  have  in  them- 
selves no  efficacy,  but  are  made  efficacious 
only  through  the  blessing  of  the  triune  God. 
Concisely  stated,  in  another  manner, 
the  Presbyterian  system  in  its  principles  of 
worship  may  be  set  forth  thus :  No  object 
of  worship  except  God ;  no  priest  other 
than.Christj  no  forgiveness  except"  for  the 
truly  penitent ;  no  obstacle  to  the  divint 
favor  other  than  unbelief;  no  worship  ex- 
cept in  spirit  and  in  truth ;  no  forms  other 
than  those  prescribed  in  Scripture.  Sweep- 
ing away  all  mere  human  expedients,  Cal- 
vinism places  the  hand  of  the  believing 
worshiper  in  the  hand  of  Christ,  and  brings 
him  face  to  face  with  the  everlasting 
Father,  to  hear,  for  the  sake  of  Christ,  the 
satisfying  and  reconciling  words:  "Son, 
daughter,  thy  sin  is  forgiven  thee ;  go  in 
peace." 


Zbc  IPresbgterian  System. 

The  great  principles,  just  stated,  have 
resulted  in  those  plain  and  simple  forms  of 
worship  which  have  been  a  part  of  the  tes- 
timony and  the  glory  of  the  Presbyterian 
churches  for  many  generations.  As  against 
Romanists  and  Ritualists,  Presbyterians 
insist  that  the  worship  of  saints  and  angels 
is  an  assault  upon  the  glory  of  God,  that 
priests  are  usurpers  of  the  power  of  Christ, 
that  obligatory  liturgies  are  unwarranted  in 
the  Scriptures,  and  a  hindrance  to  true 
worship.  Believing  absolutely  in  the  di- 
vine sovereignty,  practically  applying  both 
that  doctrine  and  the"  authcr j<-y- of  uic 
Scriptures  to  worship,  the  Presbyterian 
churches  have  insisted  always  upon  that 
untrammeled  liberty  in  worship  which  is 
tlie  direct  outcome  of  the  principles  both 
of  the  Old  and  the  New  Testaments.  The 
God  who  is  the  author  of  all  essential 
Christian  doctrine,  is  the  God  who  invites 
to  prayer  and  supplication  every  soul  of 
man.  The  way  to  God  has  been  obstructed, 
however,  in  the  past,  by  many  a  barrier  of 
human  contrivance,  and  Calvinists  have 
striven  with  might  and  main,  through  trial. 


^be  ipresbsterian  System, 

misrepresentation,  wounds  and  death,  to 
keep  unbarred  by  man  the  way  of  access  to 
the  throne  of  the  heavenly  grace.  May 
the  Calvinists  of  to-day  unite  with  those  of 
the  past,  in  steadfast  maintenance  of  the 
liberty  in  worship  wherewith  Christ  hath 
made  men  free ! 

4.  Government.  Church  government  is 
not  in  its  essential  features  a  matter  of 
human  expediency.  The  Church  was  es- 
tablished of  God  in  the  earth  for  the  pres- 
ervation, maintenance  and  dissemination 
of  his  truth,  and  is  both  the  pillar  and  the 
ground  of  that  truth.  Originating  in  a  di- 
vine warrant,  the  nature  of  the  Church  and 
its  general  features  are  clearly  indicated  in 
the  word  of  God. 

The  principal  doctrines  the  Presbyterian 
system  teaches  in  relation  to  the  Church 
and  its  form  of  government  are  those  of 
the  headship  of  Christ ;  of  the  union  of  all 
true  believers  to  Christ  as  their  Head  j  of 
the  appointment  by  Christ  of  a  government 
in  his  Church ;  of  the  right  of  all  believers 
as  members  of  Christ's  body  to  participa- 
tion in  church  affairs  \  of  the  authority  of 
33 


Zbc  iPresb^terian  System, 

the  Church  to  discipline  offenders  and  ad- 
minister government ;  of  the  right  of  Chris- 
tians to  voluntarily  associate  together  in 
denominations,  and  to  prescribe  terms  of 
communion ;  and  of  the  unity  and  inde- 
pendence of  the  Church.  The  divine  sov- 
ereignty determines  both  the  order  and 
form  of  statement,  likewise,  of  these  doc- 
trines. Because  God  is  sovereign,  there- 
fore is  Christ  the  only  Head  of  the  Church, 
and  therefore,  also,  it  follows,  that  all  who 
are  united  to  him,  are  members  of  the 
ideal  Church  invisible,  existing  in  heaven 
and  on  earth,  composed  of  all  the  elect ; 
that  all  persons  who  profess  the  true  reli- 
gion are  members  of  the  visible  and  univer- 
sal Church  on  earth ;  that  all  church  power 
is  ministerial  and  declarative,  ministerial 
as  the  Church  acts  for  Christ,  declarative 
as  it  interprets  the  law  of  Christ  contained 
in  Scripture ;  that  the  terms  of  admission 
to  the  Church  are  to  be  such  only  as  Scrip- 
ture prescribes ;  that  only  such  permanent 
officers  are  to  be  appointed  in  the  Church 
as  the  word  of  God  requires ;  that  minis- 
ters, as  the  representatives  of  Christ,  are 


^bc  ipresb^terian  System. 

brethren  one  of  another ;  that  the  people 
of  Christ  are  entitled  to  participation  in 
the  government  of  the  Church ;  that  the 
Church  possesses  the  power  to  exclude 
offenders,  and  to  regulate  the  conduct  of 
her  members ;  that  the  Church,  being  com- 
posed, not  of  disconnected  and  inde- 
pendent units,  but  of  units  so  related  to 
each  other  that  they  are  parts  of  a  great 
whole,  veritable  members  of  one  body,  has 
the  right  to  regulate  and  supervise  all  its 
parts,  whether  they  be  church-members  or 
particular  congregations;  that  denomina- 
tions are  in  harmony  with  both  the  Scrip- 
ture and  the  true  unity  of  the  Church,  each 
fulfilling  its  own  God-given  mission  ;  and, 
finally,  that  the  State  has  no  power  over 
the  Church. 

These  principles,  as  applied  in  the  Pres- 
byterian system,  result  in  the  production 
of  a  Church  organization  whose  main  fea- 
tures are  the  following:  Jesus  Christ  the 
only  head  of  the  Church ;  ministers  peers 
one  of  another  ;  authority  always  positively 
vested,  not  in  individuals,  such  as  bishops, 
but  in  representative  courts ;  the  affairs  of 

35 


XTbe  ipreebsterian  System, 

local  congregations  administered  jointly  by- 
pastors  and  by  officers  chosen  by  the  people, 
called  ruling  elders  and  deacons ;  the  gen- 
eral interests  of  the  Church  controlled  by 
representative  bodies,  viz.:  presbyteries, 
synods  and  general  assemblies ;  the  law  of 
Christ  contained  in  the  Scripture  acknowl- 
edged as  the  law  of  the  Church ;  the  terms 
of  admission  identical  with  the  terms  of 
salvation ;  discipline  exercised  only  for 
offenses  directly  against  or  clearly  inferred 
from  the  word  of  God ;  all  denominations 
holding  the  essentials  of  the  Christian  reli- 
gion recognized  as  churches  of  Christ ;  and 
the  ideal  ecclesiastical  organization  a  free 
Church  in  a  free  State. 

Put  in  negative  form,  these  features  may 
be  stated  as  follows :  No  other  head  of  the 
Church  than  Christ ;  no  monopoly  of  au- 
thority by  ministers;  no  government  by 
prelates ;  no  source  of  law  other  than  the 
Bible ;  no  denial  of  popular  right ;  no  bar 
to  church  membership  other  than  unbelief; 
no  exclusion  except  for  offenses  against 
Scripture ;  no  adoption  of  general  rules 
without  the  cooperation  of  the  whole  body 
36 


XLbc  ipresb^terian  System. 

of  associated  churches ;  no  denial  of  Chris- 
tian character  to  any  persons  who  profess 
the  true  Christian  religion,  and  no  inter- 
ference by  the  State  with  the  Church. 
Thus  is  there,  in  relation  to  Christ,  obedi- 
ence; in  connection  with  the  ministry, 
equality ;  in  regard  to  popular  rights,  due 
recognition ;  in  legislation  and  discipline, 
submission  to  divine  law;  in  the  manage- 
ment of  affairs,  wisdom  combined  with 
efficiency;  in  church  fellowship,  acknowl- 
edgment of  all  believers  as  brethren ;  and 
in  connection  with  the  State,  freedom. 

The  principles  above  outlined  are  the 
basis  for  the  conviction  that  the  Presbyte- 
rian government — on  its  divine  side,  the 
kingdom  of  Christ ;  on  its  human  side,  a 
republic — is  a  governmsnt  adapted  to  the 
needs  of  man,  and  in  full  harmony  with 
the  requirements  of  Holy  Scripture.  These 
doctrines  have  influenced  powerfully  the 
form  of  several  of  the  leading  Christian  de- 
nominations, have  permeated  modern  so- 
ciety, and  have  modified  largely  political 
institutions  in  many  lands.  The  bulwark 
of  civil  and  religious  liberty  in  the  past,  it 

37 


Zbc  iPresbstedan  Q^stcm* 

is  believed  that  they  will  determine  the 
form  of  that  one  Church  of  the  future 
which  is  the  common  hope  of  all  Christian 
believers.  That  Church,  when  it  appears, 
will  maintain  the  parity  of  the  ministry, 
the  equality  of  believers,  the  supremacy  of 
the  Scriptures,  and  the  sole  headship  of 
Christ.- 

The  general  value  of  the  Presbyterian 
system  may  be  concisely  stated  thus : 

In  its  theology  it  honors  the  divine  sov- 
ereignty without  denying  human  freedom  ; 
in  its  views  of  human  duty,  while  insisting 
upon  obedience  to  God,  it  emphasizes 
human  responsibility;  in  its  worship,  it 
magnifies  God  while  it  brings  blessing  to 
man,  by  maintaining  the  right  of  free 
access  on  the  part  of  every  soul  to  him 
whose  grace  cannot  be  fettered  in  its  min- 
istrations by  any  human  ordinance  what- 
ever ;  and  in  its  government  it  exalts  the 
headship  of  Christ,  while  giving  full 
development  to  the  activities  of  the  Chris- 
tian people.  From  its  beginning  to  its 
close  the  system  acknowledges  God  as  sov- 
ereign, and  in  its  every  part  is  affirmed  to 


Zbc  iPresb^terian  System* 

be  in  harmony  with  the  teachings  of  God's 
word.  Its  twin  symbols  are  **  An  open 
Bible"  and  '^Tlie  Burning  Bush,"  burn- 
ing yet  not  consumed. 

V.  Zbc  extent  ot  tbe  autborits  of  the 
Presbyterian  system.  The  Presbyterian 
Church  adopted  in  1729,  the  Westminster 
Doctrinal  Standards,  and  in  1788,  the 
entire  Constitution,  substantially  as  it  now 
exists.  As  a  result  of  these  acts  of  the 
whole  Church,  while  formal  approval  of 
the  Presbyterian  system  is  not  required  of 
church- members,  it  is  none  the  less  true 
that  the  Standards  are  the  regularly  adopted 
law  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  both  for 
members  and  officers,  the  common  rule 
in  theology,  duty,  worship  and  administra- 
tion. Like  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States,  the  Constitution  of  the  Church  is 
the  heritage,  law  and  guide  of  all  persons 
within  its  jurisdiction.  While  the  oath  of 
office  is  required  only  of  officers,  simply 
because  they  are  officers,  the  obligation  of 
obedience  to  the  Constitution  and  con- 
stitutional authority  is  binding  upon  all. 
Further,  the  only  authority  which  can 
39 


Zbc  ipresb^terian  Si^stem* 

change  or  modify  in  any  particular  these 
Standards,  is  the  authority  by  which  they 
were  established.  Individuals  cannot  in 
the  Church  any  more  than  in  the  State 
change  the  terms  of  a  law  or  laws  at  their 
own  will.  The  Presbyterian  system  is, 
both  in  its  doctrines  and  regulations,  sub- 
ject to  change  only  by  the  Church.  Again, 
to  the  Church  belongs  not  only  the  right 
of  modification,  but  also  the  right  of  inter- 
pretation. Members  and  officers  of  a 
denomination  cannot  read  into  any  por- 
tion of  its  Constitution  their  own  opinions. 
In  the  civil  sphere  of  action  the  interpreta- 
tion of  law  belongs  to  courts  of  civil  law, 
and  similarly  in  all  Christian  churches 
the  interpretation  of  denominational  law 
is  vested  in  denominational  authorities. 
Both  as  to  the  modification  and  interpre- 
tation of  the  Constitution,  the  authority  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  in  its  courts  is 
unique  and  absolute. 

The  relation  of  ministers,  ruling  elders 
and  deacons  to  the  Presbyterian  system 
is  fixed  legally  by  the  Church  in  its  Stan- 
dards.     Prior   to    induction    into   office. 


Zbc  Presbyterian  System, 

these  officers  are  under  the  control  of  that 
Constitution  which  at  ordination  they 
formally  and  officially  accept.  The  formu- 
las of  subscription  contained  in  the  Form 
of  Government  are  not,  when  answered 
affirmatively  by  church  officers,  an  original 
acceptance  of  the  Presbyterian  system,  but 
an  official  pledge  of  loyalty  to  that  system 
as  the  law  of  the  Church.  Further,  the 
terms  and  conditions  of  the  acceptance  of 
office  have  been  of  right  formulated  by 
the  Church.  The  Adopting  Act  of  1729 
prescribed  that  Presbyteries  should  not 
receive  any  candidate  or  minister  into  fel- 
lowship, "  but  what  declared  his  agreement 
in  opinion  with  all  the  essential  and  nec- 
essary articles  of  said  Confession  and 
Catechisms;"  and  also  enacted  that  every 
minister  or  candidate  having  scruples  with 
respect  to  *'any  article  or  articles," 
whether  essential  or  non-essential  to  the 
system,  should  at  the  time  of  his  making 
the  declaration  above  referred  to,  also 
*'  declare  his  sentiments  to  the  Presbytery. ' ' 
In  addition,  the  act  made  the  presbytery 
the  judge,  whether  the  scruple  or  mistake 
41 


XTbe  ipresb^terian  System* 

of  an  applicant  for  reception  was  about 
articles  *^not  essential  and  necessary  in 
doctrine,  worship  or  government."  This 
act  of  1729  is  substantially  repeated  in  the 
subscription  pledges  for  officers,  found  in 
the  Form  of  Government.  A  principle 
was  thus  established,  and  has  been  main- 
tained both  by  usage  and  law,  which 
requires  every  candidate,  minister  or 
church-officer,  who  differs  at  any  point 
from  the  Presbyterian  system,  at  ordina- 
tion or  reception,  to  declare  his  sentiments 
to  the  presbytery  under  whose  jurisdiction 
he  will  or  may  be,  and  vests  the  power  of 
interpretation  as  to  doctrine  and  usage  in 
the  presbytery,  subject  to  appeal  to  the 
higher  courts.  The  right  of  the  Church 
to  determine  the  qualifications  of  candi- 
dates for  office  and  to  require  pledges  of 
faithfulness  is  at  once  constitutional,  natu- 
ral and  undebatable. 

The  formal  adoption  of  the  Presbyterian 
system  by  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in- 
volves also  that  the  fundamentals  of  the 
system  cannot  rightfully  be  changed. 
Where  such  fundamental  principles  are 
42 


tTbe  Presbyterian  System. 

not  involved,  submission  to  the  will  of 
the  majority  is  the  American  rule  in  the 
Church  as  well  as  in  the  State.  Even 
majorities,  however,  are  powerless  lawfully 
to  change  the  great  features  of  the  Presby- 
terian system.  While  non-essential  matters 
in  worship,  and  in  polity,  while  forms  of 
statement  of  doctrine,  are  subject  to  the 
will  of  constitutional  majorities,  the  essen- 
tial and  necessary  doctrines,  whether  of 
faith,  worship  or  government,  are  not  thus 
subject.  The  revision  of  the  Presbyterian 
Standards  is  permissible  along  non-essen- 
tial lines,  by  new  forms  of  doctrinal  state- 
ment, by  the  elimination  of  features  unes- 
sential to  the  system,  by  the  adding  of  new 
chapters  for  the  fuller  exhibition  of  old 
truths,  or  the  alteration  of  administrative 
regulations.  In  such  lines  as  these,  altera- 
tions or  amendments  are  always  in  order 
when  they  are  properly  introduced  and 
carried  in  a  constitutional  manner.  But 
the  great  doctrines  and  essential  features 
of  the  system  cannot  be  eliminated  from 
the  Standards,  or  suppressed,  or  aban- 
doned.    The  Constitution  of  the  Presby- 

43 


Ebe  ipresb^terian  System. 

terian  Church  cannot  be  so  revised  as  to 
episcopize  its  polity,  romanize  its  worship, 
decalvinize  its  theology,  deny  the  co-equal 
deity  of  our  blessed  Lord,  nullify  his 
atonement  for  sin  by  making  the  death 
upon  the  cross  some  other  thing  than  a 
vicarious  sacrifice,  maintain  the  justifica- 
tion of  the  believer  on  any  other  ground 
than  faith,  declare  the  certain  salvation  of 
the  non-elect  and  unbelieving,  or  take  any 
other  organizing  principle  than  that  of  the 
supremacy  of  the  divine  word.  By  origi- 
nal organization,  by  the  Adopting  Act  of 
1729,  by  reunion  twice  consummated,  first 
in  1758,  and  second  in  1869;  by  its  Con- 
stitution, by  civil  charters  as  well  as  by 
ecclesiastical  acts,  the  Presbyterian  Church 
is  a  non-episcopal,  non-priestly,  democra- 
tic, Calvinistic  and  Protestant  Church  of 
Christ,  and  such  it  must  remain.  To  change 
these  fundamentals  would  be  revolution. 

VI.  ^be  obligation  involved.  The 
Presbyterian  Church  having  permanently 
adopted  the  Presbyterian  system,  the 
common  duty  of  Presbyterians  can  be 
stated  in  one  word,  the  word   * 'loyalty. " 


tCbe  ipreebvterian  System, 

Church  officers  and  church-members  are 
to  hold  fast  those  fundamental  forms  of 
sound  words  which  are  their  law.  The 
Presbyterian  system  is  one  which  has  been 
accepted  and  adopted  with  the  understand- 
ing that  acceptance  implies  loyalty.  No 
man  would  endeavor,  in  this  present  age, 
to  encroach  upon  that  right  of  private 
judgment,  which  is  the  indefeasible  pre- 
rogative of  every  person.  Encroachment, 
however,  upon  the  right  of  private  judg- 
ment is  one  thing,  and  self-limitation  of 
that  right  by  voluntary  adherence  to  the 
Standards  of  a  denomination  is  quite  an- 
other. No  man  can  compel  another  to 
enter  any  religious  denomination,  or 
to  accept  office  therein ;  but  men  do 
constantly  enter  into  engagements  which 
involve  the  limitation  of  the  rights  of 
the  individual  by  the  regulations  of 
a  denomination.  The  natural  right  of 
man  to  liberty,  for  instance,  is  conceded 
as  a  theory  in  civil  affairs,  but  our 
organized  social  system,  of  necessity,  limits 
this  right  to  a  considerable  extent.  What 
is  true  in  the  State  is  truer  in  the  Church. 

45 


^be  ipresb^terian  System. 

Civil  allegiance  in  this  free  republic  is 
obligatory,  whether  he  will  or  no,  upon 
every  citizen.  The  great  majority  of 
American  citizens  have  become  such  invol- 
untarily, having  been  born  into  the  nation. 
In  a  denominational  church,  however, 
both  membership  and  office  are  things  vol- 
untary. It  is  by  a  voluntary  act  that  mem- 
bership in  the  Presbyterian  Church  is 
accepted  by  all  who  are  in  its  communion. 
It  is  by  a  like  voluntary  act  that  deacons, 
ruling  elders  and  ministers  accept  office 
within  the  denomination.  The  State  holds 
men  to  allegiance,  as  has  been  said, 
whether  they  will  or  no.  The  Church,  it 
would  appear,  has  a  yet  greater  claim  upon 
its  members  and  officers  for  loyalty  to  its 
Standards  and  its  policy  than  has  the  State. 
Voluntary  acts  constitute  a  basis  for  the 
obligation  to  loyalty,  which  cannot  be 
thrust  aside  by  any  plea  whatsoever. 

This  loyalty,  further,  should  be  and  is 
an  intelligent  loyalty.  The  charge  is  often 
made  that  those  who  accept  the  Presbyte- 
rian system  do  so,  simply  because  they 
have  been  instructed  therein  in  childhood. 
46 


^be  Presbyterian  System, 

It  is  alleged  that  they  have  made  for  them- 
selves no  thorough  investigation  of  its  es- 
sential principles,  but  have  simply  accepted 
as  proven  the  results  of  the  thought  and 
effort  of  past  generations.  Such  a  charge 
is  untrue  to  the  facts  in  the  case,  and  un- 
worthy of  this  investigating  age  and  fair- 
minded  men.  While  it  is  true  that  the 
past  influences  the  present,  the  influence  of 
the  past  upon  the  present  is  far  too  much 
overrated.  The  men  of  this  restless  time 
are  not  like  books  printed  during  the  Puri- 
tan era,  and  placed  upon  a  shelf  to  grow 
yellow  with  age  and  dark  with  the  dust  of 
two  centuries.  Every  human  generation 
is  new  as  the  grass  in  springtime.  It  has 
its  own  life,  its  own  environment,  its  own 
development.  The  men  of  every  genera- 
tion as  they  grow  in  years,  while  thankful 
for  the  instruction  given  by  the  past,  look 
with  open  and  intelligent  eyes  at  the  uni- 
verse, and  all  that  it  contains,  and  seek  for 
themselves  a  solution  of  its  mysteries. 
And  those  who  maintain  in  this  day  the 
great  truths  of  the  Presbyterian  system, 
have   attained "  to   their    convictions,   not 


Zbc  ipresb^terian  System. 

alone  by  the  influence  of  the  past,  but  also, 
as  a  rule,  by  personal  examination  into 
the  great  questions  of  theology,  duty, 
worship  and  administration.  After  due 
thought,  with  clear  apprehension  of  the 
limitations  from  the  side  both  of  the  di- 
vine word  and  of  human  nature,  which  are 
ever  upon  men,  the  great  majority  of  Cal- 
vinists  have  reached  the  conclusions  which 
they  hold,  not  because  Calvinism  is  old, 
but  because  Calvinism  is  everlastingly  true. 
Their  eyes  are  not  blinded  any  more  than 
were  the  eyes  of  the  fathers.  They  do  not 
even  wear  their  grandfathers'  spectacles. 
They  hold  fast  the  great  doctrines  which 
are  contained  within  the  Standards  of  the 
Church,  because  they  have  thought  them- 
selves through  to  them,  as  being  the  system 
of  truth  contained  in  the  Holy  Scriptures. 
Theirs  is  that  intelligent  apprehension  of 
truth  which  is  a  firm  basis  for  loyal  adher- 
ence to  a  great  system  of  faith  and  practice. 
But  denominational  loyalty  should  in- 
clude within  its  compass  something  more 
than  the  denominational  creed,  worship 
and  polity.  These  things  are  valuable,  in 
48 


Zbc  jpreeDisterian  S^etcm. 

proportion  to  the  extent  in  which  they  find 
expression  in  denominational  work.  Just 
as  faith  finds  evidence  in  works,  so  loyalty 
approves  itself  by  deeds.  As  a  denomina- 
tion the  Presbyterian  Church  is  greatly 
privileged  in  many  ways.  It  has  estab- 
lished many  agencies  for  the  maintenance 
and  extension  of  Christ's  kingdom.  It  is 
strong  in  its  Scriptural  creed  and  its  popu- 
lar  sympathies  j  strong  also  in  its  relation 
to  the  history  and  development  of  the  land 
in  which  God  has  placed  it ;  strong,  in  ad- 
dition, in  its  hold  upon  the  influential  ele- 
ments in  the  diverse  population  of  this  re- 
public ;  strong,  further,  in  numbers  and  in 
the  material,  intellectual  and  moral  re- 
sources under  its  control.  It  possesses 
kingly  principles,  historic  prestige,  far- 
reaching  influence,  multiplied  resources. 
Thus  equipped  of  God,  it  finds  before  it, 
as  a  Church,  work  of  imperial  proportions ; 
work  not  only  in  foreign  lands,  but  more 
especially  in  this  land.  For  the  Presbyte- 
rian Church,  America  is  but  another  name 
for  opportunity,  and  if  it  would  rise  to  the 
level  of  its  providential  privileges,  then, 

49 


^be  Presbyterian  System. 

with  all  charity  towards  other  denomina- 
tions of  Christians,  it  should  devote  its 
great  resources,  both  of  men .  and  means, 
in  the  wide  dissemination  of  the  truths 
which  it  maintains,  for  the  largest  possible 
development  of  its  own  institutions.  Loy- 
alty to  the  Presbyterian  system  involves 
loyalty  to  its  widespread  agencies ;  demands 
a  persistent,  resolute,  aggressive  movement 
for  the  meeting  in  full,  along  denomina- 
tional lines,  of  denominational  responsi- 
bilities. It  is  along  these  lines  that  the 
Presbyterian  Church  will  vindicate  to  the 
world  its  right  to  exist  as  a  Church,  that  it 
will  evidence  clearly  that  it  has  a  mission 
in  the  earth,  that  it  will  rise  to  the  full 
height  both  of  opportunity  and  responsi- 
bility, that  it  will  effectively  aid  in  the  ex- 
tension and  final  victory  of  the  Redeemer's 
kingdom.  As  a  rule,  it  is  true  that  he  is 
the  best  Christian,  the  truest  to  Christ, 
who  is  most  loyal  to  the  church  in  which 
he  finds  himself,  by  choice  and  by  the  op- 
eration of  Divine  Providence.  What  is 
true  of  the  individual  is  peculiarly  true  of 
the  Christian  churches.     That  denomina- 


tibe  Presbyterian  System. 

tion  is  truest  to  its  God-given  mission,  to 
the  great  Christian  brotherhood,  to  the 
supreme  Head  of  the  Church,  which  is 
true  to  its  own  nature,  true  to  its  peculiar 
principles,  and  which  refuses,  with  David, 
to  do  God's  work  clad  in  Saul's  armor. 
The  Presbyterian  Church,  by  being  true  to 
itself,  will  be  true  to  Christ. 

Thought  of  Christ  suggests  instinctively 
that  he  is  the  source  of  all  power.  Filled, 
then,  with  his  Spirit,  may  his  disciples 
everywhere  live  and  labor,  strong  in  the 
conviction  that  if  theirs  be  a  true  and  liv- 
ing faith,  then  their  every  effort  to  serve 
him  shall  be  crowned  with  success,  not 
because  of  what  they  are,  but  because  his 
is  ''the  kingdom,  the  power  and  the 
glory." 


Date  Due 


1 

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